Coding of sound motion in the rat auditory cortex / Daryl Ebling Doan.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Microformat

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Doan, Daryl Ebling.

Contributor:

Saunders, James C., advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Penn dissertations--Bioengineering.

Bioengineering--Penn dissertations.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Bioengineering.

Bioengineering--Penn dissertations.

Physical Description:

xvi, 182 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

Production:

1997.

Summary:

Recent studies have suggested a previously undiscovered aspect of primary auditory cortex function. Investigators now believe that in addition to coding for the location of sound sources in the external environment, auditory cortex may also encode information relevant to sound source motion. In this study, responses of single neurons in the left primary auditory cortex of rats were studied while simultaneously presenting binaural sounds which simulated sound source motion. The stimuli simulated a pure-tone source moving in several radial and circular dimensions in the front contralateral field of space. The results indicated that many neurons in the primary auditory cortex responded in a preferential manner to different directions of sound motion. Moreover, it appeared that cells with similar directional selectivity were organized in columns perpendicular to the surface of the cortex. There was also evidence that the speed of sound motion affected the responses of the cells. Additional stimuli were presented in an effort to identify which aspects of the motion stimulus were most critical for the neural response to sound motion. Among the cells most responsive to motion, radial movement was more likely to elicit an excitatory response than circular motion. There was also evidence that binaural responses in the cortex were more complex than those seen in the superior olivary complex, suggesting that the responses in the cortex are the result of integrated processing of time and intensity information from the olive, or, alternatively, that the responses at the cortex may arise from processing pathways independent of the superior olivary complex.

Notes:

Supervisor: James C. Saunders.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Bioengineering) -- University of Pennsylvania, 1997.

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

University Microfilms order no.: 97-27211.

OCLC:

187470187